When the World's Gone Mad
by Thiswouldbeakick
Summary: "Owen slowly rose to his feet as well. All three soldiers suddenly had their rifles ready for use and aimed at his chest". The mission to save the dinosaurs off Isla Nublar does not go as planned for Owen and Claire, and leaves them fighting for their lives. Some spoilers for Fallen Kingdom, but mostly AU (see A\N inside the story). Will be multi-chaptered. Please R and R.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: let me inform/warn you to begin with, that most of this story was written before Fallen Kingdom came out. So, it has been largely based on fragments of the trailer and filled in with my own imagination. It has been re-written slightly to be more in line with the movie, but it still mostly is AU. Because of this it also does not include Zia or Franklin. However, I am also working on something else that does include those two.**

 **So, hope y'all still like this one. All favs, follows and reviews are highly appreciated. Next chapter will be up asap.**

 **Oh... and, yes, the title is mainly inspired by a certain Bastille-song... ;-)**

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Isla Nublar was finally shrinking into the distance behind them again. The volcano on the island regurgitated another immense amount of lava; sending rocks, smoke and ash flying in every direction for miles. It appeared they had made it out just in time…

Owen stared horrorstruck out of the helicopter's open door, back at the lively volcano. Whatever living being was left on the island would surely perish soon. When the volcano would truly erupt, and given the state of it that wouldn't be taking too long, it would be a miracle if the island of Isla Nublar even still existed afterwards.  
Owen heard Claire gasp softly beside him as a particularly heavy explosion shook the island. He turned around to look at her, and saw his own expression of horror mirrored on her face.

For the past two days Claire, Owen and a troop of privately employed soldiers had been trying to rescue as many dinosaurs off the island as they possibly could. The eruption of the volcano had been predicted and many people had fought for the dinosaurs to be saved in time.  
In the end it had been Benjamin Lockwood's corporation that had gotten the mission going, and they were aiming at relocating the dinosaurs to a new and save environment.  
Claire had been involved fairly early on and she had eventually been able to persuade Owen to join them as well. Still, Owen had only agreed to participate because Claire had ensured him that his Velociraptor, Blue, was still alive and living on the island. Ever since the escape of the Indominus Rex and their flight off the island the last time, it had been a burning desire of Owen to return to the island and search for Blue. Something he now finally had the chance for…

So, two days ago they had set foot back on Isla Nublar. The volcano on the island, Mt. Sibo, was a ticking time bomb, ready to erupt at any moment, but their mission had been a success. They had been able to save 20 species in total, before the expedition leader had deemed it too unsafe to remain on the island any longer. All the dinosaurs that had been rescued were safely loaded onto a freight ship lying a few miles off the coast of the island. The final dinosaur to be rescued, Blue, was now hanging from a harness under their helicopter and was being brought to safety.

Owen sat back straight in his seat, looking ahead at the sea and the horizon. He hadn't quite expected to ever see Isla Nublar or Jurassic World again, and, he had to admit, these past two days had been somewhat unsettling. The dinosaurs had by now completely taken over the island and most of the attractions and buildings of the resort had either been destroyed or otherwise started to get overgrown by the vegetation.  
Owen leaned forward and rested his face in his hands, elbows supported by his knees. He felt a hand carefully touching his arm.  
"Are you okay?" It was Claire.  
"Yeah" Owen mumbled back.  
Owen and Claire had carefully re-established contact in recent weeks. After the escape off the island their relationship had lasted for a little while, but eventually they had broken up and lost contact. Claire had been nervous at first about working with Owen again, but had found that it actually felt quite natural. They had been getting along perfectly fine during the mission, but Claire had still been apprehensive about showing any kind of physical affection towards him. This gesture was the first she had dared to make and she was glad to see that Owen did not shy away from it.  
"I'm just glad we got off that island again" Owen snickered, looking back up at her, "bad memories".  
"Indeed" Claire agreed with him.

Suddenly Owen registered a strange movement to his right. Apart from him and Claire, they were sharing the helicopter with a pilot, co-pilot, three soldiers and an operation supervisor wearing an expensive, tailor-made suit.  
One of the soldiers had gotten to his feet, holding on tightly to his rifle. Owen was staring hard at the soldier, already sensing that something was not right. Claire had realized this too and fear began to sparkle in her eyes.  
"Mr. Grady, Ms. Dearing" the man in the suit spoke up, "we thank you for your services, but I am afraid your journey ends here".  
"What…?" Claire began, but was silenced by the soldier cocking the rifle.  
"Rescuing the dinosaurs, eh?" Owen said harshly, "I'm guessing there is a hidden agenda here somewhere?".  
The man in the suit gave him an evil smirk.  
"They can serve many other purposes" he said, "purposes that can be very beneficiary. But none of which will go down easily on you two, I'm afraid".  
"You're going to sell them to the highest bidder" Owen looked disgusted at the very idea. The suited man did not actually answer, but the persistent evil smirk told Owen all he needed to know.  
"You lied to us" Claire said incredulously.  
"Naturally" the man answered, "and now you have seen and heard too much, so it's time for you to disembark".  
Owen slowly rose to his feet as well. All three soldiers suddenly had their rifles ready for use and aimed at his chest.  
"Owen, no" Claire's voice broke. She knew very well where this was going, and it did not look good. One of the soldiers aimed his rifle a little more precisely at Owen's heart, his finger ready around the trigger.  
"Why are you doing this?" A tear was now making it's way down Claire's cheek. The treachery of this organization, of a man she had trusted, hit her like she had run into a brick wall. She knew perfectly well that she and Owen would likely end up dead, or otherwise seriously injured.  
"Oh" the suited man grinned menacingly at her, "like I said, you have seen and heard too much. You're a liability now and that needs to go away. See it as...protection of our investment".

Claire's eye were darting from Owen to the soldier aiming the rifle at him. It seemed inevitable that a shot was going to be fired, but still Claire's thoughts raced over possible ways to prevent it and she knew Owen must be doing the same. She saw the muscles of the soldier's arm flex up for the inevitable movement and she made up her mind in a split second.  
Claire braced herself against the seat and kicked out at the rifle with all her might. It could not prevent that the shot fired, but at least the barrel of the rifle was no longer aimed at Owen. The shot resounded through the helicopter, followed by a metallic clink and a snarl in pain from Owen.  
Claire gasped in fright. She had not expected her actions to backfire so drastically…

The rifle had indeed no longer been aimed directly at Owen, but the bullet ricocheted off the metal wall of the helicopter and still managed to embed itself deeply in the front of Owen's left shoulder.  
The force of the hit made Owen lose his balance. He fell backwards, dangerously close to the open door behind him, but managed to just keep himself inside by grabbing a handle on the wall.  
Even though he still stood inside, his balance was off and his grip weakened by his injured shoulder.  
One of the soldiers saw the opportunity. He had reached Owen in a split-second and minutely calculated the action he was going to make. His foot connected with Owen's midriff, kicking the ranger back with mighty force. Owen immediately knew that he would not be able to hold on. The extra force on his arms made his wound sear anew with agony, and he felt his hand slip off the handle. He fell backwards, hoping beyond hope that his back would soon collide with the helicopter's floor. Instead there was only emptiness…  
Owen began to fall, realizing that he was going to tumble out of the helicopter and land in the water a long way down. Claire screamed and called out his name. He wanted to tell her that he would be alright, that she shouldn't worry, but the words would not leave his lips.  
Within a few seconds his entire body was outside the helicopter, and he was looking up at the aircraft and Blue dangling underneath it. Oh shit, Blue! What were they going to do to her now that Owen could no longer protect her? Owen heard a last screech from the animal and could tell that she, too, was frightened.  
 _'_ _I'm sorry, girl_ ' Owen thought, _'sorry that I could not protect you'._

The impact with the water would be imminent, Owen was sure of that. Claire's scream still resonated through his mind as he closed his eyes, readying himself for the pain he knew was coming. Owen found himself hoping that it would be quick. If he must die today, at least let it be swift.  
Finally Owen's back collided with the water's surface, knocking all the air out of his lungs in an instant. The muscles in his back, which took the heaviest blow, screamed with the agony of the impact. He felt at least one of his ribs crack and was quite certain his left hand sustained a fracture as well. The salt water of the sea stung the gunshot wound and renewed the bleeding.  
Owen disappeared under the surface of the water. For just a moment he had the knowledge of being fully submerged, of not being able to breath, of floating to his certain death. It were the last things he registered, before his entire world went black…


	2. Chapter 2

**Have fun with this second chapter, hopefully you'll enjoy it.  
** **All favs, follows and reviews are still highly appreciated ;-)  
**

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Claire could not believe her eyes. The soldier that had shot Owen had rushed forward and placed a well-aimed kick against Owen's chest, making him lose his balance and fall out of the helicopter.

"OWEN!" Claire screamed at the top of her lungs. Panic gripped at every fibre of her being as she jumped to her feet. She wanted to look out of the helicopter door and see if Owen had managed to somehow survive his fall into the sea.  
The moment she reached the door, Claire realized that this was exactly what the soldiers had been expecting her to do. They had formed a line close behind her, effectively blocking her way back to her seat. She heard a rifle being loaded behind her and knew that the only way to at least have a chance… was out.  
Claire ventured a peak over her shoulder and saw the soldier bringing up the rifle to take aim. If she wanted to survive it was now or never.  
Claire took an almighty leap, jumping as far away from the helicopter as she could. The shot of the rifle blasted and she felt the bullet whiz past her head, missing her only by inches.  
She fell fast, the water coming ever closer as she plummeted down. She tried to calculate her entering the water and kept herself as straight as possible, making her entrance hopefully a bit smoother. Her feet took the heaviest blow, but still the impact hurt, making her entire body ache as she was submerged and the water enveloped her.  
Claire kicked at the water to bring herself to the surface again. It took her several seconds, but finally her head broke through the water and she gulped in the fresh air.  
Her instincts told her to immediately look up, but the helicopter she had been in just seconds ago did not hover overhead or turn around for them, but continued its flight away from the island.

There was not a moment to lose now.  
"Owen!" Claire spun round in the water, looking frantically for him. She swam back a little and occasionally dived under to see if he would be under the water's surface.  
Finally she spotted him. Owen was floating face-down near the water's surface and not moving at all.  
"Owen!" Claire swam in his direction as fast as she could. She turned Owen face-up and held his head above the water. To her horror she realized that Owen wasn't breathing. It didn't take rocket science to know that water in his lungs prevented him from doing so.  
Claire lifted Owen a little higher out of the water, letting him rest against her arm and chest. She balled one of her hands into a fist and punched him hard between the shoulder blades. A slight gurgling sound seemed to come from Owen, but otherwise he remained still. Claire repeated the movement and this time with more success. Owen coughed violently, expelling the water he had inhaled.  
"Oh, thank God!" Claire gasped in relief. Owen's coughing was followed by slightly wheezing breaths, but he did not regain consciousness.  
Now that she was certain that Owen was still alive, Claire's second worry was getting back to shore. The helicopter had already brought them about half a mile onto open sea, so swimming back would be quite some task. She, however, was determined to rescue both herself and Owen, and knew there was no other way.

For minutes Claire kicked against the current and the waves, dragging Owen along and making sure that his head would remain above the water's surface. Her lungs burned for air and her muscles ached from the exertion, but she willed herself to keep going. If she gave up now, they would both certainly drown and, also, the 'rescued' dinosaurs would have to face some undoubtedly awful fate.  
Claire wasn't sure how long she had swam for when she finally felt sand under her feet. She rose up out of the water and carefully dragged Owen onto the beach. Out of reach of the waterline she collapsed onto the sandy beach, muscles trembling and taking panting breaths.  
Owen lay on the sand next to her. He was still unconscious, but the rising and falling of his chest convinced Claire that he was still alive.

Once she had somewhat caught her breath, Claire sat upright and looked around her. Smoke and ash clung to the air, and deep rumbling sounds in the distance announced that the volcano was far from done erupting.  
It was dangerous for them being out on this beach. Apart from the rocks the volcano sent flying around more and more frequently, there were also dinosaurs on the loose all over the island. Claire knew that they needed to get off this beach rather sooner then later, and find a relatively safe place to hide, but with Owen in his current state that proved quite a challenge.  
"Owen?" Claire carefully shook his shoulder in an attempt to get him to regain consciousness, "Owen, please, wake up. We need to go".  
Owen grunted softly and stirred slightly.  
"Come on, Owen!" Claire nudged him, "I know you're hurting, but we can't stay here".  
Owen slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her leaning over him.  
"Am I dead?" he mumbled with difficulty.  
"No" Claire smiled weakly at him, "you're alive".  
"Doesn't feel like it" Owen said painfully.  
"Well, you were shot _and_ you fell out of a helicopter" Claire teased him, "oh, and wait, you almost drowned as well". Owen groaned miserably at her remark.  
"We need to get out of here" Claire was serious now, "this volcano is gonna blow and I need to have a serious look at your injuries".  
"Where are we going to go?" Owen sounded dispirited.  
"Control room" Claire said determinedly, "it is built to withstand natural disasters. Plus it has medical supplies and a back-up generator which I can hopefully get to work".  
"How are we going to get there?" Owen sighed heavily.  
"We walk" Claire said carefully, knowing that Owen was not going to like this answer, "it's about a mile east from here".  
"Walk?" Owen indeed sounded frightened by the very idea, "I don't know if I can make that..."  
"Yes, you can" Claire was strict now, "you can and you will, because I am not leaving you out here to die, and I am not staying her to die either".  
"Alright, then..." Owen said after a few seconds of silence, "but I'm not getting up on my own, so lend a hand here".

Getting Owen to his feet was easier said than done. The gunshot wound, combined with his injured ribs and hand, and overall bruised state made moving agony for him. It earned Claire a lot of winces, grunts and gasps from Owen, but finally she managed to help him stand up. He leaned heavily on her to prevent himself from immediately collapsing to the ground again.  
"Are you ready?" Claire asked him apprehensively.  
"No" Owen said. Claire saw the muscles along his jawline clenching and the hard look on his face, and knew that Owen was dreading this beyond measure.

They set off in the direction of what once was the resort of the amusement park. The control room was just on the other side of that in a separate, more fortified building.  
The roads that had led through the park had become overgrown, and the time the dinosaurs had been loose all over the island had left its marks as well. Claire and Owen had to navigate their way through ditches, negotiate boulders, rocks and uprooted trees, and hack their way through thick bushes. Combined with Owen's inuries, it all made their progress very slow.  
Claire could not let go of Owen for even a second, for he then was in instant danger of collapsing. His face was rigid and he never spoke once during their walk. Claire knew that he was biting away an intense pain, but Owen kept going and refused to give up.

It took them nearly two and a half hours to get to their destination. The resort, too, had started to overgrow and some parts had been trampled and damaged by the loose dinosaurs.  
The separate building that housed the control room appeared largely undamaged and safe to enter.  
Even though she had not been here for nearly two years, Claire still knew her way around like it had only been yesterday. She easily guided the stumbling Owen through the resort and to the steel security door that formed the entrance to the control room.  
"How do we enter without any electricity?" Owen asked, remembering that this door was usually opened by placing one's hand palm onto the pad next to it.  
"There is an emergency handle that can open the door in case of an electrical failure" Claire answered. She let Owen lean against the wall, so she could freely move around in search for said handle.  
"I have never had to use it, fortunately" she continued, "but it should be here somewhere…. Got it!"  
Hidden behind a panel in the wall appeared a small handle. When Claire pulled it the door to the control room slid open just wide enough for them to fit through. Claire helped Owen move into the control room and sat him down on one of the old desks. She then turned back to seal the door shut behind them by using another handle on the inside.  
"We should be safe here for at least a little while" Claire said, looking around the room which had been a large part of her life two years ago, "on the other side of the room is the entrance to a storm shelter that should protect us even if the volcano erupts, but I do prefer getting off this island before that happens".  
Owen only grunted weakly in reply, which made Claire look at him a little better. He was very pale and sweaty, his hands visibly trembling and legs anything but steady.  
"Shit" Claire mumbled, realizing this was going in the wrong direction.  
"Let's lie you down". She carefully guided Owen to lie down on the floor. It looked like the walk had utterly worn him out and that his injuries were starting to take the better of him.  
Claire quickly shook off her jacket and placed it under Owen's head as a pillow.  
"Just lie still, you'll be alright" she soothed, "I'm going to pop outside for just a second to see if I can start up that generator, but after that I will have a look at your wounds".  
"Splendid" Owen mumbled sarcastically.  
"I'll be back within a few minutes" Claire assured him.  
"Claire..." Owen said softly, stopping her before she could leave the room, "promise me you'll be back?"  
Claire felt tears burn in her eyes. It had almost sounded like a plea from Owen, and his eyes shone with a strange kind of helplessness. She took a deep breath to stop herself from actually crying.

"I promise..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Apologies for the delay in this next chapter. Hope you will all enjoy it. All favs, follows and reviews are still highly appreciated.  
** **Next chapter will be up asap ;-)  
**

* * *

It took Claire about 20 minutes to get the generator going and return to the control room. On her way back she found a fairly untouched supply of bottled water and sweets, which might still be edible after all this time, and took them with her. They might come in handy later.

Claire re-entered the control room and sealed the door behind her. She had expected Owen to make a comment about her return, but found him lying unmoving and silent.  
"Owen?" Claire said a little uncertainly. She quickly dropped the things she was holding and made her way over to him. He lay as she had left him: flat on his back and head resting on her jacket.  
"Owen, talk to me". Claire kneeled down next to him. The ranger was sweating and the front of his shirt was stained by his own blood. She could only conclude that he had lost consciousness somewhere during her absence, since he was undeniably still alive.

For the first time since they had gotten themselves to the relative safety of the indoors, Claire had the opportunity to have a better look at Owen's injuries. She carefully assessed the damage to his shoulder where the bullet had hit him. The wound was still bleeding, but it had already slowed down mostly on its own. She could, however, see that the bullet was still embedded in his flesh. Claire did not have an extensive medical knowledge, but simple common sense was enough for her to realize that the bullet needed to come out, and that she would have to be the one to do it…

Claire quickly gathered some supplies from the well-stocked medical kit that was kept in the control room.  
"Sorry about that" she mumbled as she ripped open Owen's shirt and bared his shoulders and chest. The damage from the fall out of the helicopter was now, too, visible on Owen. Bruises had started to appear all over his chest, and most likely his back as well, varying from light-blueish to almost black. Claire could only imagine how much pain those were causing him and how much willpower Owen had had to muster to be able to walk all the way from the beach to the resort.

Claire could not linger too long on Owen's bruises and turned her attention back to treating the gunshot wound. She found a pair of large tweezers in the medical kit and doused them with disinfectant. Her hands were trembling slightly when she brought the tweezers to Owen's shoulder.  
Claire hesitated. She had never done something like this before and she feared the pain she would be causing Owen. Hell, _how_ was she even supposed to do this?!  
A deep rumbling sound from the volcano outside shook the entire control room and pulled her out of her stupor. Claire brought the tweezers yet closer to the wound and ground her teeth together to muster up the courage.  
"Oh, come on!" she reprimanded herself, "you have to do it!"  
Claire took another deep breath and finally plunged the tweezers into Owen's shoulder wound. It wasn't long before she felt the metal of the bullet underneath the instrument. She twisted the tweezers to get a better grip at the bullet, an action that made a shudder go through Owen.  
Claire had to wriggle the tweezers around some more, because she could still not get a good grip at the smooth and slippery bullet.  
"Stop..." Owen suddenly groaned painfully, trying feebly to move his shoulder away from her hands. The renewed pain of the 'treatment' had pulled him back to consciousness.  
"No" Claire tried to sound determined, but her voice shook anyway, "this bullet needs to come out".  
"You're hurting me" Owen mumbled through gritted teeth.  
"I know, and I'm sorry" Claire answered frantically, "but if this thing doesn't come out, it'll get infected and you'll be hurting a lot more".  
"Claire, don't..." Owen almost begged her.  
"Owen, please don't make this any worse for me to do" Claire snapped.  
Owen remained silent after that, knowing perfectly well that Claire was right. He stared tensely up at the ceiling, occasionally wincing or taking in a sharp breath, but not daring to utter a word.

Claire was finally able to extract the bullet from Owen's shoulder. She triumphantly took the little piece of metal between her fingers and held it up for Owen to see.  
"Splendid… don't cheer too soon, though" Owen said wearily, "you need to rinse the wound out, make sure there are no fragments or dirt left in it".  
"How do I do that?" Claire asked, the elation she had felt evaporated instantly. Owen lifted his hand slightly and pointed to the bottles of water Claire had found earlier.  
"Wait, but that..." Claire started.  
"Yeah, it's going to sting like hell" Owen interrupted her.  
Claire was on the verge of outright refusing to do it, but she knew Owen was right and that the wound needed to be completely clean.  
As if in slow motion she reached for one of the bottles and unscrewed the cap. The idea of causing Owen pain yet again did not sit well with her. She caught a glimpse of Owen's tense stare, before she slowly poured the contents of two full bottles over the wound. Owen grunted in pain, breathing hard and his hand gripping at Claire's shirt for support.  
"All done, you're okay" Claire soothed. She used some gauze to dry the wound, before bandaging it up to the best of her ability. The wound had started to bleed anew, but Claire was hopeful that the bleeding would once again stop on its own.

"Are you holding on in there?" Claire caressed Owen's jawline with one of her fingers. Sweat was covering Owen's face and his breathing had not yet calmed down altogether. He had his eyes closed, but Claire knew that he was conscious.  
"Yeah" Owen mumbled, although it did not sound overly convincing. He opened his eyes to give her a pain-filled look.  
"I'm sorry I snapped at you just now" Claire said.  
"That's alright" Owen answered, "you had every right to".  
"Are you hurting anywhere else, apart from your shoulder?" Claire asked.  
"Where am I not hurting?" Owen sighed, "my entire back feels as if it's been under a train. Plus, I'm pretty sure that I cracked a rib and my left hand keeps aching".  
Claire's gaze automatically darted towards Owen's hand. The back of his left hand and two of his fingers indeed looked quite severely bruised.  
"It looks like you might have broken some bones" Claire examined Owen's hand.  
"Yeah, I figured that too" Owen mumbled.  
Claire rummaged around in the medical kit. Owen tried to see what she was doing, but couldn't get a clear view without moving too much.  
"Well, it's not much, but it might just be enough to make a makeshift splint". Claire held up something that much resembled a bundle of ice-cream sticks and two pieces of cardboard.  
Claire carefully took Owen's hand and spread it out on her leg. She placed the sticks on either side of the injured fingers and used the pieces of cardboard to stabilize the hand, before wrapping a bandage around the hand, wrist and fingers to keep it all in place.  
"Thanks" Owen mumbled, laying his now splinted hand across his chest.

Claire sat back, resting her back against one of the old working stations. The screens surrounding them had started up when the generator was switched on. Most of them were showing static, but some of the cameras were apparently still working, and snippets of the park and the resort were shown on some of the screens. From the sparse images shown they could at least discern that the volcano had not fully erupted yet.  
"What are we going to do?" For the first time Claire sounded scared.  
"We can't stay here" Owen answered wearily.  
"But this room is built to withstand…." Claire began.  
"Sure, it'll get us through if that volcano fully erupts, but it doesn't keep up from being buried under a mountain of stone once the lava cools down" Owen broke in.  
"So, what do we do?" Claire looked down helplessly at Owen.  
"We need to get off this island" Owen said. Claire snorted at his answer.  
"How, exactly, will we manage that?" she said sarcastically, "we can't swim our way back to Costa Rica!"  
"Look at the top right screen. The one with the feed from the docks" Owen said.  
Claire stood up and walked closer to the surveillance screens to have a better look. Slowly, a smile spread across her face as she started to understand what Owen meant.

"Oh, yeah…."


	4. Chapter 4

**Apologies for the delay in this chapter...**

 **This is the final chapter to this story. Just for everyone's imagination: after the ending of this story, the rest would play out just as the movie.  
** **Thanks everyone for all the favs, follows and reviews. They are all highly appreciated.**

* * *

The screen Owen had indicated showed three boats tied to the docks. Whether they had survived all this time since the park had closed, or whether they had been left by the soldiers, was unclear. Still, they appeared to be in acceptable and usable condition.

The elation Claire had felt only moments ago evaporated the moment she turned around to look at Owen. The docks were at least a mile walk from the resort, but Owen looked in no condition to be walking anywhere.  
"We're never going to get there" Claire sighed deflatedly.  
"Why not?" Owen turned his head to look at her.  
"Well, you're not really in a condition to be walking all that way" she answered.  
"A man's gotta do what he's gotta do" Owen mumbled.  
"Let's hurry". Even Claire was now starting to get convinced that they could indeed not stay here while a volcano would be erupting outside. The control room might have been built to withstand it, but getting buried under the lava and, eventually, rocks would highly complicate matters.  
"I'm going to need your help, though" Owen said, "I'm not doing this all by myself".

Claire quickly stuffed some water, candy bars and medical supplies into a bag and strapped it to her back.  
"Come on". She kneeled down next to Owen to help him sit up. The number of winces and grunts from Owen from only these simple movements did not bode well for the journey they were about to undertake.  
Owen needed a lot of help to stand up, but he finally stood wobbly-legged and holding on to a desk for support.  
"Are you sure about this?" Claire asked uncertainly.  
"If we don't want to die here like the good people of Pompeii, there isn't much of a choice" Owen spoke through gritted teeth. It was beyond a doubt that his injuries were causing him a lot of discomfort.  
"Okay, then, let's go". Claire offered her shoulder for support, which Owen gratefully accepted.

Claire and Owen's progress was slow, for Owen was not able to keep any kind of steady pace.  
Once they had left the control room and the buildings of the resort behind, it was instantly clear that the situation on the island was becoming more dire by the minute. Smoke and ash from the volcano hung low and made it appear misty with only around 30 yards of visibility in each direction.  
"We must follow the road" Claire said, "it will lead us straight to the docks".  
"Keep a sharp eye" Owen warned, "there are still many dinosaurs loose on the island".  
"We didn't encounter much on the way over here" Claire interjected.  
"Let's hope this trip will be just as uneventful" Owen said.

* * *

A walk that would usually take them about 30 minutes, was already taking them an hour and they were only just over halfway. Owen was starting to lean more and more on Claire, who was now starting to struggle under the ranger's weight.  
The sudden noise of breaking branches and rustling leaves made Owen and Claire stop dead in their tracks.  
"Quick, the bushes!" Claire pushed Owen to the side of the road and behind the cover of some bramble bushes. Pounding, running footsteps definitely announced the arrival of a dinosaur. Several even, by the sounds of it, but it was impossible for them to tell yet which direction they would be coming from or what type of dinosaur it was.  
Suddenly the treeline on the opposite side of the road was broken by a stampeding troop of Brachiosaurus. The animals were uprooting trees in their running and appeared to be fleeing for their lives. Owen half-turned to look over his shoulder at the volcano.  
"The way they're running… it's not gonna be long now" he said heavily.  
"The docks should be right around that bend in the road" Claire said, fear now sounding through in her voice.

Owen seemed to have found some renewed strength, for he was able to move somewhat faster then before now. He still needed to lean heavily on Claire for support, but she supplied that willingly.  
"Almost there… just a little further...we're going to make this..." Claire kept mumbling under her breath. She wasn't speaking to Owen per se, but she did feel she needed to keep talking to keep herself from running away in fear.  
Owen was by now painfully leaning on her. Claire cast a glance at his face and immediately worried for how much longer he would be able to hold on. His face was screwed up in pain, beads of sweat stood out on his face and neck, and he was taking harsh, panting breaths.  
"Are you okay?" Claire knew it was a stupid question to ask, but she felt she needed to talk to Owen.  
"No" Owen answered through sternly clenched jaws. His eyes were fixed on some point far in front of them and it was evident that he was doing his best not to collapse.  
"You've got to keep going" Claire said urgently, "I can't carry you if you pass out".  
"I know" Owen answered somewhat darkly.

It felt like hours later to them when Claire and Owen finally reached the edge of the island and the boats they had seen on the cameras. Three surviving boats were chained to the quay, all of them looking as if they had managed to withstand the destruction of the rest of Isla Nublar quite well. Two of the boats were small speed boats, while the third one was a medium-sized yacht. The yacht looked to be in the best condition and appeared to be the most sea-worthy, so Owen and Claire quickly climbed aboard that one.  
"Claire, I need you to get this boat untied from the dock" Owen instructed. The volcano behind them emitted another huge amount of ash, smoke and lava, and several deafening explosions sounded.  
"Now!" Owen said urgently. Claire quickly scrambled back onto the quay and started working on the ropes and chains. Owen, in the meantime, had hoisted himself up to the captain's platform and was trying to get the engine to start.  
"Come on, come on..." he encouraged the vessel. After a lot of spluttering the engine finally came to life and a steady rumble sounded from the motor. Owen was grateful to see that the needle of the fuel meter immediately sprang to full.

Claire threw the last of the ropes aside and jumped aboard of the yacht again. She hurried up the small stairs and joined Owen at the controls.  
"Have you ever steered a boat before?" She asked a little apprehensively.  
"No" Owen answered, "but desperate times call for desperate measures, so I'm sure I'll manage".  
Another deafening explosion came from the volcano and a large part of the left side of the mountain had exploded and was rapidly collapsing.  
"GO!" Claire yelled. Owen fumbled around with the switches and managed to get the boat going. Getting away from the quay did not go quite so smoothly, but finally Owen steered the boat away from the quay and in the direction of the open sea. He accelerated the yacht to full speed to get as far away from Isla Nublar before the entire volcano would erupt.

The boat raced over the water for several minutes.  
"Oh my..." Claire gasped, as another deafening explosion made her look back. Owen slowed the boat down to a slow crawl and turned around to look back too.  
Mt. Sibo was now continuously exploding and sending lava and ash high up into the air.  
"It's happening..." Claire mumbled. Her eyes were shining with tears.  
Claire was right. The entire volcano was now exploding and collapsing. Even from this distance the hot lava could be seen crawling across the earth. The island was starting to disappear in a thick cloud of heavy smoke and ash. Every living being that had survived until now, would no longer stand a chance of escaping the liquid fire.  
"They're all gone..." Claire stammered, as all that they could see now was an immense cloud of smoke and ash enveloping Isla Nublar. Tears were streaming down her face. Even though some dinosaurs had been taken off the island, most of the animals had still died, burned alive by scalding hot lava.

Claire tore her gaze off the remnants of the island, when Owen suddenly leaned heavily into her. She meant to ask him what was going on, but one look at his face made all questions superfluous.  
"Shit". Claire immediately realized what would be happening next.  
Owen swayed dangerously on his feet and his eyes started to roll back. Claire sank with him to the ground when he collapsed. Everything had finally gotten too much for his weakened physique.  
"It's okay, you're alright" Claire soothed. She guided the now almost unresponsive Owen to the floor of the captain's platform and carefully rested him on his side. He was trembling somewhat and Claire was certain that he was hurting.  
"Easy, now" Claire mumbled a little thickly and gently caressed Owen's hand.  
"C-Claire..." Owen stammered, sounding utterly spent and weak.  
"Yes, I'm here" Claire answered. Owen marginally opened his eyes to give her a pain-filled glance. Claire leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his temple.  
"Give in to it" she whispered sweetly and watched consciousness slowly fleeing him.

* * *

Claire did not dare to leave Owen's side for longer then a few minutes. Even though she knew that he had not sustained life-threatening injuries, it did not feel right to leave him unsupervised for too long. She had managed to find some blankets that weren't too dirty which she had folded into a pillow for Owen.

The boat was still crawling ahead very slowly and, for now, Claire decided to leave that be.  
She sat down next to Owen, resting her back against the small cabin's wall. She studied Owen's unconscious face and couldn't help but think back to the time they had spent together after the closing of the park. For some strange reason she had always liked watching Owen sleep. Even though she knew he was now unconscious instead of sleeping, it still emanated a feeling of pure peace and made her feel at ease. The slow rise and fall of his chest and his calm breathing, made Claire start to feel drowsy too. She rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. The knowledge that they had made it off the island alive, combined with the steady rocking motion of the yacht, made that she had soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Voices… Crackling voices talking to each other…  
Why were there people speaking? Apart from Owen and herself, Claire was quite certain there was no one else aboard.  
Claire awoke with a shock. Had the voices been real or had she been dreaming? Her eyes immediately darted towards Owen, but he lay still unconscious on the floor next to where she sat and he had obviously not moved a muscle.

" _S.S. Arcadia, you are cleared for mooring at d_ _o_ _ck 83"._

Claire spun round. The voice had sounded from right above her. She did not have to search long for the source though. The yacht's board radio was crackling and a reply from the S.S. Arcadia sounded through the cabin.  
"Of course" Claire smiled. She reached for the volume knob and turned the sound up higher. As a conversation between the Costa Rican harbour control and the captain of the S.S. Arcadia passed, a smile gradually widened on Claire's face.

"Owen". Once the conversation had finished, Claire turned her attention to the still unconscious ranger. A plan had formed in her mind from the instructions she had overheard for the S.S. Arcadia.  
"Owen, please, wake up". Claire shook his shoulder in an attempt to rouse him back to consciousness. Owen groaned softly and stirred, but he did not yet fully wake.  
"That's it" Claire encouraged, "Owen, you need to come back to me".  
"That's not what you said last time" Owen mumbled softly. Claire scoffed at his remark. Even when he was only semi-conscious and injured you could leave it to Owen to make a sarcastic comment.  
"Jerk" Claire snorted.  
"What's the rush?" Owen said serious now. He half-opened his eyes to look at Claire.  
"I think I have a plan" Claire said, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Owen painfully sat upright.  
"What kind of plan?" he asked.  
"A plan to get aboard the S.S. Arcadia and get a second chance at saving the remaining dinosaurs".  
"Okay, let's hear it" Owen's interest was clearly peaked.  
"I just overheard a conversation on the board radio between harbor control and the S.S. Arcadia. They will be moored for the night to re-stock and re-fuel before setting sail to America" Claire explained, "this yacht can get us to the harbor in about three hours. All we have to do is get on board the S.S. Arcadia there".  
"All we have to do?" Owen repeated sceptically, "that's gotta be way harder than it sounds"  
"But we have to try" Claire pressed, "…for Blue".  
That last remark got her the desired result. Where Owen had first looked ready to protest against her plan, he now looked to mull things over.  
"Please, Owen, you're not the only one who cares about these dinosaurs" Claire continued.  
"Alright" Owen finally agreed.  
"In your current condition it will be hard on you, I know" Claire took Owen's hand in hers, "but I'll be with you. Together we can do this".  
Owen nodded slowly. "It's gonna hurt" he said with a wry smile, "but, you're right, we have to do this".

Owen slowly lay back down. He would have another three hours of rest and recovery, before their plan would have to be set in motion. It was certainly not a given that they would succeed, but they would give it their very best try. They had to, they owed that to the dinosaurs. To Blue.  
Owen stared up at the yacht's ceiling, his resolve hardening with every second.  
Claire had gotten up and had taken place behind the yacht's wheel. She had started the engine again and had set a full-speed course for mainland Costa Rica. She caught Owen's eye as he stared up.  
"What is it?" she asked.  
"You're right" Owen said softly, "we're going to do this. For Blue..."


End file.
